The present invention relates to a lubricating system used in machines and in particular a lubricating system for contiguous gear boxes.
In machines such as mining machines, a first working element such as an auger head, is driven by a gear case known as an auger gear case. In turn, the auger gear case is coupled to a planetary gear case for coupling power from a source such as a motor to the auger gear case to drive the auger head itself.
In many of these machines the auger gear case and the planetary gear case are contiguous to each other but are separate and distinct cases insofar as the lubrication system is concerned. Thus, the auger gear case has its own lubricating system and the planetary gear case has its own lubricating system. This requires, of course, that lubricant be added to each of the cases individually as needed and that the operator must check the lubricant level in each of the cases separately. In addition, the gears in the planetary gear case are very compact and thus the planetary gear case is smaller in volume than the auger gear case. The planetary gear case, therefore, contains much less lubricant than the auger gear case. This means that since the planetary gear case is absorbing the power from the motor source to the auger gear case and because these motors are very large and can generate several hundred horsepower, a great deal of heat is generated in the planetary gear case. Under these conditions the lubricant system must be checked often not only for supply but also for temperature and because the temperature is high, failure of parts is greater than would occur if the lubricant were at a lower temperature.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome the foregoing disadvantages by providing contiguous gear cases which utilize the same lubricating system which allows the larger volume of lubricant in one gear case to flow through the smaller gear case thus allowing the smaller gear case to operate at a lower temperature.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a lubricant pump in one of said gear cases for causing a pumping action of the lubricant thereby enabling circulation of the lubricant between the two cases.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an improved lubricating system in which an oil outlet passage is formed in one of said gear cases adjacent a rotatable carrier having vanes thereon which distributes oil toward the outlet passage and in which a projection is formed adjacent the oil outlet passage for forming a dam to catch the oil distributed by the vanes to force the oil out of the oil outlet passage thereby creating a pumping action.
It is still another object of the present invention to convey the pumped oil externally from one of the gear cases to the other to allow a complete circulation path.